Pile wire and method of weaving pile fabrics



March 27, 1951 F. P. GRoAT 2,546,261

PILE WIRE AND METHOD OF' WEAVING PILE FABRICS Filed April l2, 1948Patented Mar. 27, 1951 PILE WIRE AND METHOD OF WEAVING PILE FABRICSFrancis P. Groat, Bloomsburg, Pa., assignor to The Magee Carpet Company,Bloomsburg, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application April 12,1948, Serial No. 20,547

solaims. 1

This invention relates to improvements in pile wires for looms and amethod of weaving pile fabrics in which the pile surface is formed byloops of different height in the same weftwise row to produce a looppile fabric having a teX- tured or relief effect.

In the manufacture of loop pile fabrics in which the loops are ofdifferent height it has been the practice to form the loops by the useof pile wires of different height. As each individual wire is of uniformheight throughout its length, the loops formed thereon will all be thesame height. Thus, the fabric produced will have rows of loops ofdifferent height but the loops of each weftwise-row will all be the sameheight. While methods are known for producing a fabric in which theloops in the same weftwise row are of different height, these methodsrequire that a Jacquard mechanism be employed to selectively raise theyarns forming the loops according to a pre-arranged design or pattern.The cutting of the pattern cards for the Jacquard requires considerabletime and is expensive. Also fabrics of this type woven on Jacquardmachines -contain spaces devoid of loops thus detracting from theappearance of the fabric.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel pile wirethat is shaped so the loops formed thereon will be of different height,with some of the wires in a series being of different shape so the highand low loops will be in diverse relation to the high and low loops ofother wires whereby the withdrawal of a wire will raise all the loopsthereon to a uniform height while at the same time altering the heightof the loops in I the preceding row to form a row of loops of varyingheight.

A further object of the invention resides in providing a series ofpile'wires having their upper edges of substantially undulating contourto form rows of loops of graduated height with some of the wires havingtheir undulations in diverse relation to the undulations of other wiresaccording to the design of the fabric to be produced.

A still further object of the invention'resides in a method of weaving aloop pile fabric to provide a full complement of loops in the Weftwiserows, with the loops in each row being of different height whichrequires only one frame of pile warp.

The present invention is accordingly directed to producing a loop pilefabric having a textured or' relief effect by the use of novel shapedpile wires `which eliminatesthe need of a Jacquard mechanism andrequires only one frame of pile warp, thus reducing the cost. By usingmy novel wires only one frame of pile warp is necessary to obtain theirregular appearance of the loop pile rows whereas in other weaves ofthis type it is, necessary to employ two or more frames of pile. warps.The wires are so shaped that the height of the loops at the desiredpoints may be varied to produce the desired effects, and each transverserow of loops contains its full complement of loops so there are novacant-spaces in the pile surface'.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification vandin which. likelnumerals are employed to designate like parts throughe(out the same,

Fig. l is a perspective view of a section of the1 fabric with the rowsof loops spread apart showing two of the novel pile wires in loopforming position and one of the wiresbeing withdrawn,

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary perspective View of a` loop pile surfaceproduced by my invention,

Figs. 3 and 4, are fragmentary side elevations, of the novel wireshowing the ridges and valleysl of each wire arranged in diverserelation, and

Figs. 5, 6 and 7 are similar views of wires of different shapes whichmay be employed to produce different textured eiects.

Referring to the drawings, the novel wires 5 are formed from a flatstrip of metal or other suitable material having its upper edge notchedat spaced intervals to form ridges 6 and valleys l throughout itslength. The width of the ridges and valleys may vary in the samev wireor a series of wires may have ridges and valleys of different widths.necting with the ridges are inclined, as at 8, but if desired may be ofstepped formation. The

height of the ridges may vary and may be spacedr apart at varyingdistances with the ridges of one wire of a series being arranged indiverse relation to the ridges of another wire,

In looms for weaving fabrics having loop piley surfaces it is customaryto insert a series of pile'- wires in the fabric as. it is being wovenfor adistance of about three inches from the fell or opening o f theshed. The number of wires 1inserted in the fabric before a wire iswithdrawn depends on the quality of the fabricto be woven. Whenemploying my novel Wire some of the wires in a series are of differentshape, in -that the ridges and valleys are arranged in diverse rela-Vtion. Also the shape, width and height of the ridges of a single wiremay varyso4 that by combinations of thediierent shaped wires a fabricfThe sides of the valleys conhaving a loop pile surface with the loops ofirregular height may be woven in accordance with a desired pattern.

In Fig. 1 I have shown a loop pile fabric being woven in accordance withmy invention. The backing of the fabric may be of any suitableconstruction .Abut in the lform illustrated there are l.stuffer warps 8and -two series of weft threads I and II lying, respectively, above andbelow the stuifer warps and bound in place by crossed binding warps I2and I3. The pile forming warps I4 extend along the fabric inthe bodythereof between the stuffer warps and the upper series of weft threadsI0. When weaving.,the

fabric the pile warps I4 are :raised tovallow .the

novel shaped wires 5 to be inserted in the A,shed formed by the raisingof the warps, after which the yarn is looped over the wire by loweringof the warps to pass under the next upper weft thread thus forming theweftwise rows of loops L I5.. In ,a like manner, .the series of wiresare successively inserted in the sheds formed by raising .the pilewarps. Owing to the irregular or undulating contour of the upper edge ofthe wires .the loops formed thereon will be of irregular height. Theirregularity in the height of loops Vin ,each row is .governed by theshape of the wire on which they are formed. When a predetermined numberof shaped wires according to .a design have been woven into the fabric,the wires are successively withdrawn and re-inserted in the shed formedimmediately following the llast wire in a series. -As Shown in Fig. 1wires IS and .I1 .are woven in the fabric and Wire .L8 is beingwithdrawn. rThe wire I is of corresponding shape to the wire shown inFig. 3 and the wires .I1 and I8 correspond 4in shape to the wire shownin Fig. 4. The withdrawal of a wire raises all the loops formed thereonto a height lcorresponding to the height of the A highest ridge, and ifall the ridges are of uniform height the ,loops will all kbe raised whenthe wire has moved a distance ,equal to the distarle between adjacentridges. Before withdrawal of wire ,I8 .all the loops in the precedingrow I9 were ,of uniform -height but as the low loops in row .20 arevraised the pile warps are pulled which causes the loops in row I9formed from these warps .to Abe reduced in height whereby theirregularity ,o-f the height of the loops in row I9 conforms ,to thecontour or shape ,of wire I8. Likewise when wire Il is withdrawn theloops in-row 2l] will be -adjusted in height to conform to .the shape ofwire I'I. Wire I6 is of a different shape from -wires I'I and I8, sothat when this wire is withdrawn the loops in row v2i will be .adjustedinheight to conform to the shape ofwire I6.V By a combination of theshaped wire shown in Figs. 3 and 4 a fabric having an uneven loop vpilesurface, such as shown in Fig. 2, vmay be produced and it is apparentthe contour of the pile surface may be changed by using wiresof,diiferent shapes, such as shown in Figs.

5, :6, and '7. Thus, it is seen. that by the use of my novel shapedwires, a fabric having weftwise rOWS :of 190195 .of irregular height maybe produced without the use Iof -a Jacquard mechanism thus reducing thecost .of manufacture.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. The method of weaving on a pile wire loom a pile fabric iioorcovering having a warp pile face including pile elements of graduatedheight which comprises inserting a pile wire having high loop formingportions yand intervening low loop forming portions, the connectingportions between the low and high portions being inclined in oppositedirections, weaving the pile warps over the high, low and inclined loopforming portions to form a weftwise row of high and low loops with loopsof graduated height between each group of high and low loops, insertinga second pile wire having high .and low loop forming portions andconnecting portions between the high .and low portions inclined inopposite directions, weaving the pile warps over the high, low andinclined loop forming portions of said second pile wire, withdrawingsaid first wire to convert all the loops thereon to a uniform height andconverting the loops in Said rst-mentioned row in pile warps woven .overthe low and inclined loop forming portions of Vsaid second-mentionedwire to low loops and loopsof graduated height by withdrawing saidsecond-mentioned wire.

2. A method of weaving on a pile wire loom a pile fabric floor coveringhaving a warp pile face includingpileelements of graduated height `whichcomprises inserting into a shed a pile vwire having high and `lowloop-forming portions with theconnecting portions between the high .andlow .portions inclined in opposite directions, weaving pile warps overthe high, low and connecting portions to ferm high andlowloops withintervening loops of graduated height lbetween the high and low loops,inserting into a subsequent shed a pile wire having high and lowportions with intervening .inclined connecting portions, the lowportions being in warpwise `alignment with the high portions of thefirst-,mentioned wire, .weaving the pile warps over the high, low andcQIlDCQting portions of said second wire, withdrawing saidfirst-,mentioned wire -to form a -row of high loops and then withdrawingsaid second wire whereby the loops in said first row in pile warps.woven over the low and connecting .portions of said second Wire will bereduced in height.

3. In a pile wire carpet loom adapted to produce a pile fabric having asurface composed of groups of high and .low loops with interveninggroups .of loops of graduated height arranged in a repeat pattern havingmeans for inserting pile wires into a shed, removing them from the wovenfabric and reinserting them into a subsequent shed in regular order, thecombination therewith of a set of pile wires including la pile wirehaving horizontal high loop-forming portions, an intervening horizontallow loop-forming portions, and loop-forming portions connecting the lowloopforming portion to adjacent high loop-forming portions inclined inopposite directions, the arrangement of Vsaid loop-forming portions ofdilerent heights in the set `of wires corresponding to the arrangementof the loops of different heights in said pattern.

4. A set of pile wires for use in a pile wire carpet loom adapted toproduce a vpile carpet having pile loops of graduated 4heights arrangedin rows in ra repeat pattern and having means for inserting pile wiresinto a shed, removing them from the woven Ifabric and reinserting theminto a subsequent shed in regular order, said set of pile Wirescomprising a plurality of pile wires having Vhorizontal loopfformingportions of different heights at .different lengthwise Dosi tions on thewire with a low portion intermediate the high portions and connectedtherewith by oppositely inclined loop-forming portions, the location ofsaid loop-forming portions of different heights in the assembly of thewires correspending to the locations of the loops of different heightsin said pattern.

5. A set of pile wires adapted to be used in a Wire loom to produce apile floor covering having a repeat surface pattern composed of groupsof high and low loops and intervening loops of graduated height, saidset including at wires having upper edge surfaces composed of aplurality of high portions, low portions intermediate the high portionsand oppositely inclined loopforming portions connecting the ends of the10W portions to the ends of adjacent high portions,

the relative positions of said high portions and low portions in theassembly of the Wires corresponding to the relative positions of highand low loops in said pattern and a high portion of one of the wiresbeing disposed in alignment with a 15 low portion of another Wire.

FRANCIS P. GROAT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS

